Awakening
by Anthai11
Summary: When towns and villages across the Empire crumble, who will stop the relentless hordes? T cause it might change pace later in the story.
1. The Attack

Garry smiled in satisfaction as he collected the raw beef and leather from the dead cow. This should feed the missus an' kids. Usually he could only bring down a chicken, and barely feed them all. Luckily, he used the feathers to make arrows. He had 126 with him, not counting the ones he shot the bovine with. Heading back home, he hummed a happy tune. Suddenly, a rattling of bones rang through the pine forest. A Skelly, as Garry called them, or the more popular term Skeleton archer. Quickly, Garry set a few ladders against a tree and broke through the leaves to the top of the pine. Laying down in the snow on top of the tree, he notched an arrow to his bow. The clattering came closer, until it was just under the tree, then all was quiet. Peeking around the leaves, Garry saw that the Skelly was wearing leather armor! Drawing back the arrow, he fired his bow and pierced it's skull. Leaping from the tree, Garry quickly salvaged 3 arrows and a leather chest plate. Taking his ladders, he rushed home without delay.

Banging on the door to his house, his wife, Alyx opened it and smiled. But her smile left her face at Garry's worried expression. " Honey, what's wrong, you look-"

"Barricade the door, block the windows and get into the cellar with the children. If any more come, I'll hold them off."

Alyx nodded with understanding. Turning into their sons' bedroom, she called, " James! Michel! Get to the cellar!" Two sleepy-eyed young boys dashed to the hidden door behind the bookcase, looking questioningly at their father.

"I'll explain later. Now get to the cellar. Both of you." Alyx rushed into the cellar, and with one last look at Garry, shut the bookcase door.


	2. In the night

**Hey, sorry for making the first chapter so short... Can't forget school... (at least not entirely... xp )**

A low moan sounded outside. Zombies. A low hiss. Spiders. A high _pssss_. Creepers?

"Notch protect me..." Garry muttered.

A pounding on the door meant they were trying to come in. The banging stopped as quickly as it started. Garry placed his ear to the door, to possibly hear what was going on. The hiss of a creeper rapidly gained in pitch until an explosion blew out the door, flinging Garry into the back wall. Something snapped. Garry reached into his satchel, pulling out a cooked chicken. Biting into it, a warm sensation flooded his body, healing his various broken bones.

Picking up his bow, Garry drew back and fired into the smoke left by the creeper, hitting a zombie and killing it. An arrow whizzed through the air, embedding itself into the wall next to Garry. Ducking behind a counter, he let fly a vicious barrage of arrows, killing a varied group of monsters, all with some sort of armor on. The creepers had helmets, the zombies, leggings, and the skeletons, breastplates. He ran out of one stack of arrows quickly, and had to reach into his supply stack of 64. A second creeper exploded on the side of the house opposite to Garry, letting in a second wave of monsters. Shooting down a zombie, Garry opened the hidden door, surprising his family. Between ragged gasps he said, "Get to the tunnel. Go to the fort." Alyx complied, but asked, "What will you do, Garry?"

As he shut the door again, he said, "Warn the other families. We need to evacuate the village."


	3. On the streets

Using his bare hands, Garry smashed through the wall and ran into the streets, knocking on every door, saying, "Get your families to the fort! They're not safe here!" A few followed him, but some particularly stubborn peoples said, " These were the homes of our ancestors! We'll stay and fight!" Rushing to the fort that loomed upon a cliff, Garry dodged arrows left and right. An explosion from behind knocked him forward. A few men came to help him up, but Garry waved them off. "I'll be fine! Just save your kin!" After a slight hesitation, they continued to the fort with their families. Pushing himself up, Garry sprinted to a now-empty blacksmith shop and grabbed two stone swords. One for fighting, and one as a backup. With a moan, a zombie shuffled into the shop and spotted Garry. Moaning louder, the zombie moved quicker towards him. Swinging his sword, Garry decapitated the zombie and raced through the doorway and onto the street. The main horde was closer now, and the air was thick with arrows from both skeletons and defending villagers. Not even trying to dodge the arrows, Garry ran to the fort, dashing past the corpses of monsters and villagers alike. As he reached the fort, he saw the gates open and men with swords beckon to him. Doubling his speed, he reached the gates and they banged shut behind him. Collapsing to the floor, Garry fainted in exhaustion.


	4. Death, Chaos, and other wonderful things

Slowly, Garry came to, and saw the faces of his family around him. James and Michel wrapped him in an enormous hug, shouting, "Daddy!" Alyx just smiled and kissed his forehead. Standing up, Garry asked the village trapper, Peter how many causalities there were. " Hal n' Cooke died on the way here, but Hal's wife, Maria, survived. She wanted t' go for the body, but we wouldn't let er'." Garry nodded and said, " Good." Walking with Peter and Alyx, he asked, "So what's the situation?" Alyx and Peter glanced at each other and said, "Let's show you." Climbing up a spiral staircase to the battlements, Garry silently quivered with rage at what he saw. For the city burned.

* * *

"HOW COULD THEY DO THIS!" Garry shouted, "CREEPERS DON'T BURN, THEY BLOW UP!" Peter coughed and said, "Our best guess is that a creeper broke the lava pit at the blacksmith, and burned the warehouse, which then spread from building to building." Suddenly, a scream rang out, but it was quickly muffled by an explosion. Racing downstairs, they found a thirty foot crater where the gate was. A man that was flung against a wooden supporting beam, but seemingly unhurt, called out, "A blue creeper. It was full of some sorta energy. That's why the pit is so large." Garry grabbed some wooden planks and made a makeshift barricade in font of the hole, with a half-slab to step on and see over the wall. Motioning for some men with bows, he told them to man the barricade. They nodded grimly in response.


	5. Death is a tragic thing

There is another dimension, another plane of existence. It is called the Aether, and ruled by Notch, creator of all, from the smallest blade of grass to the highest mountain. Populated by his servants, Zephyrs, colder winds than that of the Overworld, it is paradise. But, there is a mirror world of this, and it is called the Nether. It is a place of fire and Death, and one ruled by Herobrine, brother of Notch. But, the ruler of Death is not evil. Rather, he guards the souls of the dead that wait for judgment. Those he judges worthy go to the Aether, forever to serve Notch. Those unworthy, however, stay in Death, forever to burn. To help Herobrine, Notch created creatures to help keep the dead from escaping. They are in the form of undead pigs, and carry golden swords.

But, above all, there is a world suspended in the VOID, and it is named the END. The ENDermen, for centuries, have lived there with their consorts from an even higher plane, one that was obliterated by a cosmic beast in the form of a dragon. Following the refugee Ther'Tia to the END, it proclaimed itself king, the ENDerdragon. Being subjugated to it's rule, the ENDermen had no choice but to obey it's wishes and slay mortals. But they desperately longed for the day when HE would come. Little did they know, the dragon sees all, hears all. And he heard them waiting for the prophecy to be fulfilled. He saw the mortals trying to defend themselves from his hordes across their puny Empire. And he smiled, for they could not defeat him.

* * *

Firing arrow after arrow into the horde, the defenders quickly exhausted their arrow supply. Drawing an assorted arrangement of clubs, swords and stakes, the battle came to the walls. Screams rang out as zombies with chain mail armor on pulled the village butcher over the wall. He tried to put up a fight, but their forces were too strong. Gradually, the defenders numbers grew lower as skeletons picked off villagers with uncanny accuracy, zombies and spiders pulled them off the wall, and creepers exploded, breaking through.

Garry shouted, " They're too powerful! Fall back! Fall back!"

Gathering into a cluster, with the women and children at the back and center, the survivors were gradually pressed back to the watchtower. Upon the battlements, the villagers were attacked from both sides, spiders on the ramparts, and a horde in the stairwell.

Watching a family get devoured by bloodthirsty zombies, Garry slashed at a helmet wearing creeper, not doing much damage, but knocking it back a little.

"Garry! Help!" Alyx cried. Whipped into a frenzy at the sight of his family in danger, Garry did anything he could to hurt those that would threaten his family. Twirling, he slashed and threw skeletons and zombies off the turret. Adopting a defensive stance, Garry slashed and parried blows from everywhere. Eventually, some blows got through. An arrow to the knee. A sword cut to the shoulder. A pummeling to the gut. These, he paid back with equally vicious bloodlust. But what angered him the most was when a skeleton impaled Alyx. Howling, Garry ripped off the skull of the skeleton, kicked his body off the tower, and stabbed a creeper with the loose jaw of the skeleton. A spider leaped over the battlements to attack him. Punching the spider in the abdomen, Garry ripped through it's body, spraying green goo all over him. Flinging the corpse into another spider, it tumbled down into the valley below. A bite from behind startled him, and the wound started festering immediately. Kicking the spider into the wall, it exploded in a shower of spider guts. Looking down from the corpse, he saw his two little boys lying dead, in their mothers cold, dead arms.

Losing the will to fight, Garry sunk to his knees. Feeling the poison course through his veins, he crawled to the lip of the tower. Standing up, he made one final salute to the sky as he jumped. He would rather die an honorable death than be torn apart by these... monsters. He died before he hit the ground.


	6. Ash

Nerissa leaned over the garden wall and sighed. He was still there, trying to impress her. When would he figure out that big biceps and sappy love poems would not make her fall madly in love with him.

_ Over yon glen, _

_ came a maiden faire, _

_ with lips like roses and_

_ hair as a rose's, she – _

Cutting Andrew off, she sighed and said, "Just give up. I find nothing particularly impressive about you or your muscles. And I'm pretty sure that poem is from _The Oracle_. Turning red as a beet, he stomped off, muttering something about women.

"Trouble, your grace?" Nerissa twirled around and gasped. Then she let out a laugh. "Don't do that, Ash. Sneaking up on me like that. And you know how I hate it when you call me that." About six foot tall, jet black straight hair, Ash was the son of David Darkstar, the great Warder.

Keeping his face impassive and holding out an arm, he said, "Then shall I escort your ladyship to your quarters?"

Suppressing a laugh, Nerissa adopted a mock haughty demeanor and took his arm. "You know it is unbecoming of me to consort with those of lower rank."

"Then I shall take all the shame, for such a maiden should never be blamed for being unbecoming."

Snorting, Nerissa said, "You know that I am no more a maiden than the moon is made of cheese."

Laughing, Ash sighed, "For it truly would delicious if it was." Walking up to Nerissa's room, Nerissa studied his face. She liked it when he laughed. It kept the dark, brooding look from his face, even if only for a moment. Maybe... She shunned the thought. They were practically brother and sister, best friends from 8 years old. She met him at the annual ball in the castle, all dressed up in his little red overcoat and black military slacks. Even then, he had that little frown. She saw him, and decided that she should dance with him. Accepting, he took her arm. He danced wonderfully for a 8 year old. Her mother, the Grand Duchess of Cadalicien, saw them dancing and pulled her away.

"What were you doing with that boy?" Her mother asked when they were out of hearing range.

"Just dancing, mother. Why do you ask?"

"It's not proper, for a duchess of Cadalicien to be seen dancing with some... Warder's son!"

This only made their friendship more concrete, and Nerissa's mother gave up on separating the two. Ever since, he had always been there, good, dependable Ash. But, he could laugh when she laughed, be there when she cried, and help her when needed. Another young man in red military clothing similar to Ash's ran up to them.

"Hey, Ash! Your da wants to see you! Says it's important!"

Ash glanced at Nerissa but she waved him off. "Go on, I'll be fine. See what your father has to say." Ash shrugged and jogged off with the second cadet, heading towards the Academy, the grand red and black building near the center if the city.

**I am going to ask this only once and I'm probably gonna regret it... But you can make story suggestions up until at least chapter 10. But please, nothing outrageous, ok? **


	7. Command

As Ash walked up to the Command Center with his fellow cadet, he asked with slight interest "Did my father say what this is all about, Derek? Because I was in the middle of stopping a gang leader. Who knows what he'll do now."

Facing straight ahead, Derek grumbled, "I wish I could tell you, but I can't. Besides, it's probably for the best that your father tells you."

Ash nodded and gave a lopsided grin. "So, it's either about Dan's mushroom curry store finally selling the Devils Breath hot curry, or the mob raids at the edge of the Empire."

Staring at Ash in amazement, Derek wondrously said, "How would you know that? He told me not to tell you!"

Chuckling, Ash smiled and said, " When my father said for you not to tell me, what he really meant was that "The raids have worsened proportionately, or that Dan's curry mart is selling his pet project. Or maybe even both."

Scratching his head, Derek asked, "How do you get such a long and important message out of 'I can't tell you'?" Smiling, Ash just kept walking until they reached the Com. Center.

Nodding at a guard at the gates, the pair entered the hall. A long marble corridor stretched the length of the building, with several offshoots breaking away at seemingly random angles and spacings. Passing a group of n00bs drilling in marching formations, Derek winced.

"I still haven't gotten over that one time I took the potion before drills, and …. yeah." Derek mumbled. "Who know that being a year 00 would be so... happy?"

Ash, smiling at both the memory and his friend's discomfort, said, "How about a rematch, Mr. Chuckles?" A few of the year 00s overheard, and started smirking and whispering. They were so busy giggling like schoolgirls, they didn't notice the shadow looming behind them. A 5'6" shadow that could drop any one of them in a wrestling match, to be exact.

"Having fun, ladies? WELL NOT ANYMORE! YOUR'E NOT IN SCHOOL ANYMORE! SO DON'T THINK THAT YOU WILL GET AWAY WITH TALKING IN THE RANKS! GIVE ME 50 SPIDER CRAWLS THROUGH THE SNAG! NOW!" Sargent Alan McClain II screamed. The n00bs jumped at least three feet in the air, and sprinted outside to the 'Snag', an especially painful training grounds. And spider crawls were where you crawled on your stomach over spiked tripwires, which would snag your clothing, and cover you in scratches from head to toe.

Turning to the pair, Davie jerked his hand towards the library and said, " Your da wants ye in th liberry. Canne say why, but he's waitin for ya."

Looking at Derek, Ash raised an eyebrow but Derek just shrugged and walked over to the grand winter pine double doors that were engraved with woodcuts of great heroes, like Steve 'Victor' Ellis, the mighty monster slayer. Pushing them open, he entered the library. Ash, like always, headed towards the section on Aetherized and Auric energies, but Derek pulled him back. Grinning like a fool, Ash mumbled something about 'research on the recent developments'.

Pulling him towards the center, Derek said "Yeah, yeah. Research on the recent developments my eye. Stay focused, Ash. This is your father we're talking about. And you know how he is."

Nodding, Ash straightened and rose to his full height. Pulling his coat tighter and smoothing his hair, he knocked on a steel door. A slat of metal pulled away, revealing two goggled eyes peering out at them. Looking them down, the slat closed. After a slight pause, which involved much clunking on the door, banging, and an expansion of Derek and Ash's vocabulary, it opened, showing a slightly bedraggled man in a black duster, muttering curses and grumbling. Stepping into the map room, Derek and Ash saw a huge giant of a man in chainmail armor with metal plates attaching the segments.

Nodding at his father, Ash said, "Wearing half armor in the library? I bet you had a hard time with Clarence the librarian here, as you are two times your size in armor." Almost as an afterthought, Ash said, "And you're pretty dang big."

With a booming laugh, David patted his son on the shoulder. Not minding that Ash fell to the floor, he smiled and said, "So, did you get the message? Dan's curry place is accepting my recipe! I'm so glad! I can't cook for the life of me." After he said this, his face darkened. "But, we have more pressing matters to attend to." Striding to the table, David slammed a dagger into a map on the table. Clarence the librarian winced. Pointing to a specific area in a mountain region, he said, "We have been hearing massive explosions, one after another, in a valley around here. It's the site of the first village that got destroyed. One guy got out, says that the monsters appeared... organized. Keeps babbling on about how one man went Brezerkang, and killed over 200 monsters. Doesn't know what happened to him after that. We could use a fighter like that, though. I want you, Derek, and you, Ash, to explore the area, find out where the explosions are from, and see if you can find the fighter. We'll need him if we want to make a difference in this war." He said it uncertainly, though, as if he was unsure. Ash knew that his father was holding something back, but he didn't press him for answers. His father was already miserable enough since Ash's mother's death. Ash knew that if he pried, David would just stare into space, crying. As they walked out of the library, Derek looked at Ash strangely and asked,

"Why so glum? We'll be coming back."

Ash glanced at Derek and sighed. "This is the only place I can be myself. The only place where people see Ash Darkstar, and not Ash the son of the Great Warder David Darkstar. It is here and only here that I don't have to live up to everybody else's expectations, and enjoy myself. You know the Snag? How it was so humiliating? I love it. I can not be the perfect gentleman, I can be just Ash. The only other place I can be just Ash is Nerissa's house. She sees me as just Ash. But I still have to live up to some of the public opinion there. Did you know that there are eyes and ears in the very walls of that place? The main export of the Empire is espionage and political strife. So this is the only place I can talk to anyone like this." Without another word, Ash entered the armory and started selecting armament for the trip, leaving Derek standing there speechless.

Alan McClain came up behind Derek and said to him, "He just showed you his deepest troubles. With that lad, trust comes hard for him. Ever since his mother's death, he's had trust issues. Just think about it. He'll tell you more in time. I know, because I've known him since he was a wee lad. And I've know his father ever since he was this size." Alan held out his hand and gestured to about Derek's height. " Just let him think. It does him good. He'll appreciate it."

After his little chat with Ash and Alan, Derek re-entered the library and removed several books on Aura and Taint energy, and Vis crystals for Ash. Entering into the darker, mustier sections of the library, Derek noticed several books of Monster behavior, martial arts, and biome survival. He took these for himself. Noticing an odd click as he stepped onto a block of stone, Derek looked around. A passageway opened in a bookshelf, leading down to a dark, dank cobble passageway. Setting down a book on the pressure plate, Derek entered the ominous passageway. Taking a torch from a wall, he started walking slowly down the corridor. Noticing a strange purple metallic sheen on the cobblestone floor, Derek sniffed it, and he smelled ozone. Following the trail, Derek found a door made of iron bars. Looking around, it was not properly a door. It extended between two walls... Suddenly, Derek had a flash of recognition. He knew where he saw a door like this before. In the Com Center's Dungeon. So, this was a prison. What was it made to keep in? Touching the bar doors, Derek's hand came back wet. A small amount of water was running over the bars. Derek stood back and jumped when he heard a primal wail coming from the end of the hallway. Stalking along, staying in the shadows, Derek turned a corner and saw light spilling out from a half opened door. Peeking through the crack, he saw an ENDerman strapped to a table, with oozing red sores, bleeding purple blood out of his mouth.

A raspy human voice, obviously interrogating the ENDerman, croaked, "Now, you will tell me this, or I will give you pain beyond imagining. The ENDerman, defiant, spit out a mixture of metallic purple blood and red pus, and coughed, **"I will never give into your demands, pitiful mortal! Torture me all you want, you will never get the information you seek!" **

Railing against the leather straps, the ENDerman, spasming, screamed once again. A low humming filled Derek's ears. It grew in pitch until it became painful.

The man's voice, much louder now, roared. "You call me mortal? Me? A mortal? I will show you what true mortality is!" An eerie white glow filled the room, blinding Derek. With a crackle of lightning and a boom like thunder, the ENDerman was gone. No body, no corpse, just a pile of fluttering ashes.

Turning around, Derek sprinted down the passage. Slipping in a puddle of ENDerman ichor, he rammed into a cell door with loud clang. The sound of heavy metallic footsteps rang out after Derek. Picking himself up again, Derek turned around to see three glowing red eyes. A giant metal hand whirred outward and grabbed him. Slipping out of the monster's grip, Derek started to run back down the hallway. He saw the light of the musty library ahead, glaring through the dark hall. Breaking through to the end of the passage, Derek lifted the book off of the pressure plate, trapping the metal abomination behind three feet of steel.

Panting and leaning against a bookshelf, Derek picked up the books and left the library, in search of Ash.


	8. What happened next

Ash had practically emptied the armory when Derek walked in carrying a stack of books, looking a bit flustered. Looking at Ash, he handed him three tomes on Aetherized energy and Aura influences.

Showing a saddlebag full of potions, arrows and various supplies to Derek, Ash said, "These will keep us supplied until we reach the next outpost. From there we'll resupply and go straight to the valley." Tossing a halberd and a bow at Derek, Ash explained, "We don't know what's going on there, so I picked weapons that would match our skills." Taking a rapier, three daggers, and a glass sphere filled with Aetheric lightning off of the weapons rack, Ash said, "What's wrong, Derek? You seem a little subdued.'

Derek whipped his head around and leaned towards Ash and whispered in his ear. "There was something in the library. A hidden passage led to a dungeon, which I believe was meant to hold...ENDermen."

Mildly surprised, Ash said, "We must tell this to my father! If not him, at least tell Sargent Alan."

Shaking his head vigorously, Derek said, "No. We must not tell anyone until we investigate further. I don't know who could have been down there."

Ash raised his eyebrow at this. "You think there's a traitor in our midst? Who would want to capture and torture ENDermen anyways?"

Derek replied, "I don't know, and whoever could turn an ENDerman to ash could easily destroy us as well. And I don't feel like knowing what death is like."

Gathering up his weaponry and books, Ash told Derek, "We leave in three days. You can spend that time doing whatever you like." And with that, he left the room to prepare for the coming weeks.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - – - - - - - - - - – - - - - - - – - - - - - - – - - - - - - – - - - - - - – - - - - - - – - - - - - - - –

Slipping into Nerissa's garden like a shadow, Ash alighted on a gargoyle like a whisper. Keeping to the shadows, he gave the newest admirer the once over before jumping down from the ledge and slipping behind him. It appeared that he was playing...something on a lute. Ash couldn't precisely tell what, as a caterwauling tore at his ears.

"Is that a banshee, or is it you singing?" The son of some dusty noble jumped up in the air and spun around.

Quickly regaining his composure, as a noble should, he scowled at Ash. "And who might you be? Because I am courting the noble Nerissa." Hoping that this last comment would have an affect on her stance towards him, he glanced in her direction, but Nerissa kept her deadpan and watched the entire proceedings with a bored expression. " Anyways, you have slighted my honor sir, and I would have a duel with you. Unless, you are too much of a coward?"

Sighing with a resignation that only comes with years of practice, Ash said, "I accept your duel, and would be disgraced if I ever let anyone's honor go unchallenged. Challenger picks the weapons. Ten paces?" The noble nodded and procured a slim metal box with a gray metal switch in the middle. Ash took this all in stride and accepted the rapier that his opponent gave him.

Flipping the switch, he stood back and smirked. A reverberating thunk shook the ground. The whir of a clock sounded seconds before another thump rattled Ash's bones. Ash took up a defensive stance, and the monstrosity came into view. With three eyes, this golem was different than most. Instead of a core of vis and arcane crystals, it seemed to be powered by... clockwork?

Uttering a tinny roar, it charged at Ash, sweeping with it's huge metal arms. Sliding below the attack, Ash came behind the golem and jumped onto it's back. Flipping open a metal slat on it's back, Ash plunged his rapier into the whirring machinations of the golem, jamming them and causing sparks to fly. Belching sooty smoke, the golem's glowing red eyes dimmed, and it collapsed to the ground.

Walking towards the noble, Ash crossed his arms in front of the noble and said, "I believe that I have beaten you in the duel, so thus you must, on your code as a noble, never bother Duchess Nerissa, or you will be cast out from you mother's house, exiled by your father's, and your honor forever tarnished. That is all."

Mumbling something about '...never suffering such an ignominy before...', the noble stomped off, leaving the smoking hulk of the clockwork golem behind. Jumping up onto the gargoyle, Ash coolly said to Nerissa, "Sorry you had to see that. That happens more often than you know."

Blinking in surprise, Nerissa asked, "Really? I never see such instances. How do you hide them from everyone then?"

Grinning wickedly, Ash said, "Generally, most of those morons have the sense to 'Help the caretakers in the center of the garden'. Apparently, this one didn't."

Laughing, Nerissa pulled Ash close and hugged him tightly. Then, as if only realizing what she was doing, she kissed Ash before any protest escaped his mouth. Jerking back suddenly, she covered her mouth with her hand and whispered, "Oh Notch, Ash. I'm so sorry, I just, I didn't know what came over me..."

Ash, as red as a beet, mumbled, "S'ok. By the way I'm leaving in three days to reconnoiter for my father." Diving off the stone figure, still blushing, Ash sprinted off into the city, with the setting sun at his heels.

Staring after him, Nerissa whispered, "What did I just do?" She stayed in her quarters the remainder of the night.

- – – - - – - - – - - - - - – - - - - - - – - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - – – - - - - - - - -

Stumbling through the streets, Ash, only after he had reached the Undercity, noticed it was nighttime. With people rushing indoors, he was quickly the only one on the roads. Pulling his coat tighter, he stepped into the warm glow of an inn's doorway. Striding in, his presence silenced the entire room. Stepping up to the bar, Ash snapped his fingers and the bartender stepped up.

Wringing his hands, the small, wiry little weaselly man asked Ash, "What would you be having, sir? We have ale, rum, spiced rum-'

Cutting him off, Ash leaned in and with a low voice said, "I'll be having none of that today." Letting the implications of that statement sink in, Ash continued, "I'm looking for a certain Brenys Chorster. She in?"

Looking around nervously, the bartender pointed towards a hallway which was dimly lit with torches. Ash did an informal salute towards the barkeep and headed towards the passage. Passing several doors reinforced with steel, Ash came to a room that had a low blue glow seeping from the crack under the door. Taking a thin metal lock pick from his coat pocket, Ash stuck it in the poorly crafted lock, causing a jolt of power to flow into his hand. Ash silently berated himself. _Stupid, Ash, really stupid. Don't try to break into a wizard's room. The door can and probably will have wards._ Stepping back, he composed himself, straightened his jacket, and knocked on the door.

A voice called out from a back room. "Come in, it's not locked now." As Ash crossed the door frame, the voice admonished him. "You could have knocked, y'now. That would be the polite thing to do."

Chuckling, Ash stepped into a large study with various arcane tools on the shelves as well as books. A woman with jet black hair with a red stripe down one side sat in a chair, wearing a long black duster and goggles with magical symbols inscribed on the lens.

She gestured for Ash to sit down and asked, "So, to what do I owe the honor of your visit? Do you want for me to teach you how to harness Vis? Or maybe to show you the more difficult runes of magic?"

Ash sat in a large leather chair across from Brenys, and with a grin said, "Don't even pretend to be a proper teacher, Bren. Besides, I'm older than you by a year, so I should be patronizing you." Raising his index finger, Ash continued his monologue. " I already mastered the runes and seals, so I should be moving onto Vis infusion and learning to craft magical items."

Interrupting him, Brenys held her hand up in his face. "Let's stop this argument and cut to the chase. What are you here for?"

Sighing, Ash told the wizard, "You always were straight to the point, weren't you? I need to know if you've seen anything like this anywhere." He held a round brass gear, about the size of his fist.

Taking it from him, Brenys lowered a large magnifying glass from the top of her goggles and peered through. After a thorough examination of the piece of clockwork, she pulled the goggles of revealing over her cloudy gray eyes. Taking her time, she turned it over in her hand, searching for any Taint, Aura, Vis influences. Finding something, she peered at it some more, and then abruptly pulled off the goggles.

Looking at Ash and handing him the gear back, she said, "It appears to be an oversized watch gear, but if you look closely, there's a lightning seal on where the gear would connect with the spring. Maybe to power a Redstone signal? But, anyways, it's just your normal, everyday oversized, enchanted clock gear. I know an artificer that dabbles in clockwork. He enchants the springs and gears to never wind down, and always show the correct time. Take it to him, and see what his opinion is, cause I can't tell you any more."

Ash nodded and stepped out of the study, saying, "I leave in three days, on a mission for my da. Can I have some nitor? Also, I might need an Arcane Singularity."

Handing the items to him, she said, "Now shove off. Next thing I know, you'll be asking for my portable hole, Thaumomicon, and potions of strength. Do you know how hard it is to make those? I have to travel to the thrice-blasted Nether, slay a Blaze, gather Nethewart, and come back, all while dodging fireballs and lava pits. Now go! I need to follow up some research on the Eldritch monoliths." Slamming the door behind him, Brenys went to the portal seal on her wall, and stepped through to the outside of the monolith in question.

Ash, walking outside, went to the barkeep one last time, and told him, "Thanks for the information. It was very useful. Here." Pulling out a fair-sized bag of gold, Ash placed it on the counter, leaving a small fortune and a very bewildered bartender behind.


	9. The END is where we begin

**I got my DeviantArt page up! And I have created a group called Awakeningstorygroup! (yes, it's all one word. Awakening story group was invalid.) Buuuuut... I have no working scanner! :( Soooo... I really just created it for your convenience, so ya'll can post art of your favorite characters! But, if I get my hands on a scanner, I'll post art. Anthai out! **

– _- – - - - - - - - - - - – – - - - – - – - - - - - - - – - - - – – - - - - – - - - - - - - – - - - - - – - - - - - - – - - - – - _

_Ecologist's report: Compiled by Dr. Yuzhna Kazashi of the County of Dimriel_

_Note 1: There are several diseases carried by creepers, zombies, spiders and the like, these will be explored in further detail in the joint effort written by The Imperial Institute of Pathology and myself._

_Note 2: In the first case, most monsters will attack unprovoked. (I.e; Zombies tunneling through the earth to infect passive humans, driven by a bloodlust unexplainable through scientific means) This derives from general smoothing out in the cerebral cortex, in the case of the monster possessing the brain to do so. In light of the lack of folds in the brain, nature replaced mental capacity with extreme aggression._

_Note 3: Some of the distinguishing features in each species of monsters can be listed here, but a more detailed report can be found in the Imperial Library, under the author name of Chorster. The basic characteristics of the undead are their humanoid visage and ability to infect the living. Zombies are identified by their rotting flesh and low moans which escape from the deflating lungs and pass through their decaying mouth. Skeletons, however, have no stench, and are relatively quiet, with one exception. Their joints, fused together with bone, but still move somehow, possibly due to the locking of ball-and-socket joints, and the like. But, because they have no flesh to dampen their noise, their bones clatter and rattle together, giving most men with normal hearing an early warning._

_Note 4: On the living creatures; much can be said. They are significantly more intelligent, as they have craniums to hold brains and a nervous system. The spider is one of the most feared monsters of the night, as it stalks it's prey, patiently waiting until such is the time to strike, which then it leaps with such great force, it is possible for it to knock full-grown men to the ground. Injecting a quick acting poison, spiders kill their prey, and take the corpse so their lair so their hive can survive. Creepers, however, are the most feared, second to ENDermen, which we know second to nothing about. Having claws, creepers can burrow, allowing their vibration-sensitive skin to hunt their quarry underground. Their primary offensive and defensive action is to spit an explosive gel, a mixture of gunpowder and natural gas, ignited by a mixture of water and sodium, produced by the food ingested. Burrowing underground at an insanely fast speed, escaping the brunt of the explosion. However, due to cuts sustained by small rocks and gravel scraping across their skin, they have to regenerate for a full day before they can tunnel again. There is one exception, and that is when a creeper is charged with Auric lightning. It can emit a doubly large explosion, although this will kill the creeper as well as the targets. _

_Note 5: ENDermen; can teleport, have battle-claws that can be retracted at will, and in extreme cases, ejected with great force, launching them into an enemy. Are extremely dangerous, avoid if possible, exterminate if necessary. Do not not engage unless cornered. _

_Note 6: On the behaviors of hordes and the like. The way hordes of monsters are grouped, shows that albeit having a primitive intelligence, monsters grasp something of tactics. The creepers are the most of the initial wave, softening up the quarry. I.e; attacking a defenseless village. Secondly come the zombies and spiders, as they tend to mass into large groups anyways, even if not horde size threats. They follow up with the force of sheer numbers, because zombies are not the brightest monsters. The spiders, however pose a different threat, because of their poison and incredible leaping abilities. The skeletons hang back and hide behind the zombies, which basically form a wall of flesh to keep anyone or anything from breaking through. The skeletons can fire over the zombies to kill as many humans as possible with a deadly hail of arrows. _

_Final Note: These monsters are only to be engaged by trained professionals, do not aggravate them unless in self defense. _

_- - - - - – - - - - - - - – - - - - – - - - – - - - - – - - - – - - – - - – - - - – - - – - - - – - - - - -_

Ash snapped the book shut as the coach pulled up to a small clock shop, with a sign that read Cinnibar's Clockwork. Stepping out of the buggy, Ash handed three silver coins to the driver. With a crack of his whip, he was gone. Pushing open the well oiled door, Ash walked into the slightly cluttered shop. Despite it's lack of organization, the store had a warm, comfortable feel to it. Stepping over gears, springs, and clocks, he made his way to the back of the shop, where a slight whirring sound emanated. A man sat at a workbench, wearing a pair of goggles, similar to goggles of revealing, but with a magnifying glass on a hinge that allowed it to flip down over his eyes. Tapping him on the shoulder, Ash said, "Are you Cinnibar Nile? Brenys sent me with this. Said you could tell me where the heck this thing came from, and what it does."

Grabbing the gear from Ash, Cinnibar inspected it closely, "Hmmmmm..." Ash leaned forward and wondered what this revelation could mean. Was it a rare, magical gear? Or maybe an ancient mechanisim? "I have absolutely no idea what it does. I have a few gears from Alumetum Industries that look like this, but on a much smaller scale. But, one thing I know for sure is that Alumetum Industries is anti-enchantment. So much, that they actually inspect every gear, sprocket and spring for enchantments. If they're enchanted, they get melted down into slag, transported into a tainted area, and forgotten about. Kind of ironic, really, that they use wizards and enchanters to help keep magic from 'contaminating' their products. But, anyways, there's nothing I can really do. Maybe you can ask the manager of the factory here, but I doubt you'll get a straight answer." Chuckling, Cinnibar gave it back to Ash and turned his back on him.

Waiting for Cinnibar to continue, Ash stood there awkwardly, until he turned around and promptly walked out the door. Jumping up onto a passing coach, Ash told the driver to go to Alumetum industries, handing him three silver coins. The driver said to Ash, "It's across town. You might as well get some rest. I have a feeling that you'll be up all night arguing if you go there." The man, turning around and looking at Ash, put a hand on his forehead and said, "Sleep." Ash caught a glimpse of a pure white pupil before he sank into sleep.

- - - – – - - – - - - - – - - - - – - - – – – - - - - - – - – - – - - - – - – - - – - - - - -

Welcome. You have activated all syestems...

Deactivation is not an option...

You must find the truth...

And remember... Not everything is as what it seems...

If you don't stand for something... You might fall for anything...

The END is where we begin...

- - – - - – - – - - – - - - - - - - - - - – – - - - - – - – - - - - - - - – - - - - - – -


	10. Chase

**Ok... Just to clarify... The extremely epic quote "The end is where we begin" is not my creation, but it rather belongs to the band Thousand Foot Crutch, from their album The End is Where We Begin. Just so there isn't any plagiarism issues, I quoted their work. **

**- - - - - - - – - - - - - - - - – - - - - - - - – - - - - - – - - - - - – - - - - - – - - - - - - – - - - - - - - - – - - - - - -**

Ash stood up on a barren plain of stone. A scorching wind quickly whipped across his face and scratched it raw. Several obelisks made of an obsidian material with a floating crystal on the peak were the only features on the lonely landscape. Spotting several figures mulling about in the distance, Ash started trudging through the dusty shale towards them. Looking up into a starlit sky with no moon, he saw the jaws of a mighty dragon close around him,

And

The Dragon's fangs

burned like fire,

froze like ice,

consumed all,

And

Ash

felt

true

pain

- - - - – - - - - - - - - – - - - – - - – - – - - - - - - - - - – - - - - - - - - – - - - - - - - - – - - - - - - - - - – - - - - - - -

Clutching his hands to his throat, Ash, curled up in terror for a few minutes before he realized that he was back in the coach. Taking deep breaths, he took off his jacket and felt his shoulder, and winced when he saw the wound. The bite mark was about four inches deep into his shoulder, and the skin and muscle around it was puckered and red. Ripping the hem of his shirt into several strips, Ash bandaged the wound and covered the bandages with his jacket. When the coach pulled up to the factory offices, Ash stepped out onto slick cobblestone streets. Drenched instantly by the rainfall, Ash looked towards the driver's seat and saw a completely different person than before. Frowning grouchily, the driver sent Ash off with a wave of his greasy hand. Confused, wet and in pain, he stumbled into the factory office. Walking up to the secretary, Ash said, "I need to talk to whoever is in charge. I have a question about some of your products."

The secretary stood up and said, "Wait here please.", as she walked down a hallway towards a big oaken door, with brass framework.

Plopping down in a leather armoire, Ash waited until the secretary came back and said, "Mr. Chase will see you now." Standing up, he thanked her and advanced towards the door. Pushing on the door, it opened with barely a sound. Ash examined it to see that is had a small system of gears instead of hinges. A man at an imposing mahogany desk stood up to shake his hand.

"Hello, and you must be the young warder Miss Hampton told me about. Come in, sit down, sit down." Ash, complying, sank into a large leather chair and handed Chase the gear.

"I found this gear in a clockwork golem, after I had destroyed it. It appears to be one of your gears, but oversized, and enchanted. I was hoping you could tell me why it's so large."

Frowning, Mr Chase took the gear and inspected it closely. Tossing it into an incinerator, he said with almost a nonchalant manner, "This is obviously sabotaged by one of the employees. You see, we've been having a few troubles with workers going on strike, and sabotage. They want to have higher pay, and fewer hours. But we have already acceded to their wishes before ! They now only work twelve hours a day, and get paid three gold crowns per two hours. But they still want more!"

Interrupting, Ash said, "The overall taxes have increased, but let's get back down to business. You're sure that this... thing is not normally manufactured by your company?"

Folding his hands across his desk, Mr Chase frowned. "I assure you that we nev-"

A brick sailed through the window behind Ash, showering glass on him. More debris crashed into the office, wrecking the desk, and splintering it. Flinging himself backwards, Mr Chase slammed into a wall, hurting his arm. Sliding along the floor to him, Ash grabbed Mr. Chase and signaled for him to crawl to the door. Sifting through the desk, Ash came across a small cannon. About the same size as Ash's fist, the shells would easily tear through all but the strongest materials. Looking at Chase quizzically, Ash held up the weapon. Shrugging, he mouthed, _"I like to be prepared."_ Shaking his head, Ash pulled back the hammer and pointed the handcannon at the door. A thumping sound came from the hallway, presumably from a battering ram. Waiting till the shouting got louder, Ash tightened his trigger finger around the firing mechanism. When the door to the office began to crumble under multiple blows, he fired, shooting through the door. A fiery explosion ripped through ten of the attackers, killing them instantly. Shrapnel and bits of bone shredded the others, disabling them.

Stepping over fallen factory workers, Ash and Chase walked out into a warzone.


	11. Echo

The first thing Ash saw was an enormous metal arm, hooked on a chain, crash into the ground in front of him. Spinning around, he and chase saw a clockwork golem the size of the factory. A tinny voice came from the automaton.

_Cease and desist, or I shall be forced to exterminate all of you. _

Slowly, the mob attacking the building stopped and stared at the clockwork being. At about eighty feet tall, it was certainly capable of preforming said annihilation.

Bending down to look at them, Mr. Chase and Ash were the only ones that didn't flinch in fear. Extending one hand, a hatch opened in the behemoth's palm.

Stepping up inside, Chase turned around and said to Ash, "Well, come on, we haven't got all day, you know."

– - - - - - - - - - - - - – - - - - - - – - - – - - - - - - - - – - - – - – - - – - – - - – - - - – - - - – - - - – - - - - - -

The inside of the golem was a lot more crowded than you would expect, due to the massive boiler situated in it's chest. Stepping over an open hatch with a mechanic checking gauges and twisting bolts, they climbed up a spiral staircase into a dimly lit study, with three red window slits on one wall.

Tapping the window with a knuckle, Ash said, " What material is this made from? I've never seen the likes of it before."

"I like to call it Netherglass, because it's made from smelted from unrefined netherrack. Stronger than reinforced glass, yet clearer than a polished diamond." Whipping out a sword, Chase smashed it two- handed against a window. The steel blade shattered against the ruby surface, settling on

the carpet as a fine metallic dust.

Unsettled, Ash asked, "What will you do to repair it? That must have been an expensive sword."

Chuckling, Chase said, "It was. Because I utilized the newly discovered Element 5, a substance that no matter how dispersed, will always return to a formed shape." As he said this, the dust floated in midair and re-formed at the base of the hilt. Sitting down, he snapped the blade into the sheath. Opening a small cherry box, Chase took and lit a cigar. Between puffs, he said, "So, you came to investigate a gear not in production, and got caught up in a mob!" Chase chuckled and said, "Hardly a normal turn of events, even for a Warder!"

Nodding, Ash said, "I have to be going now, there are things I have to do."

Tapping the edge of his nose, Chase grinned, "Warder things, unless you're just DYING to get to Dan's Curry."

"What is it with the general assumption that all Warders like curry? I mean, we do, but what started that general stereotype?" Ash asked.

Just smiling and shaking his head, Chase waved Ash away and sat there, smoking his cigar.

- - - – - - - – - - - – - - - – - – - - - - - - – - - - - - - – - - - - - - - – - - - – - - - - – - – - - - – - - – - - - - – - -

Back at the mansion, Nerissa was sitting in the steward's offices, slouched down in her chair. The steward was prattling on about how a lady should act in affairs of state. She just couldn't take her mind off of how she had sent Ash running off, alone.

"Lady Nerissa, are you paying attention? This is very important, you know. You will inherit the duchy when your parents are gone, and you need to know how to be a responsible noble."

Slamming her hands on the table, she cried, "I had my mind on other things, that are much more important to me than stupid nobility!" Dashing out of the room and running down the hall, Nerissa slammed the door to her room, locked it, and threw herself upon her bed, crying bitterly.

- - - – - - - – - - - – - - - - - - – - - - - - – - - - - - – - - – - - - - - - – - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - – - - - -

That night, Derek was walking through the corridors of the Academy when he heard a commotion in one of the training rooms. Slowing down in front of the open door, he saw a full grown man fly out of the room, slamming into the wall behind.

Picking himself up and groaning, the man called out, "Echo, why do you keep doing this? You practically LIVE in the training hall."

Silent, Echo just took up a wooden dagger and pointed it at the man until he sighed with a weary resignation and drew his sharp steel sword and charged at Echo. Ducking under the slashing blade and sliding under his sparring mate's arm, Echo kicked him and pressed the blade to his throat, simply saying, "Dead."

Panting heavily, the man said, "I think we'll call it a night."

Continuing down the hall, Derek saw a blond girl, sitting in a corner, reading a book. Shaking his head, he wondered if the night could get any stranger.

_- - - - - - - – - - - - - - – - - – - - - – - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - – - - - - - - - - - - – – - – -

** It could, Derek... Very much so... **

** In other matters, I'm taking OC's! Just copy this form and post it in a review!**

**Name:**

**Personality:**

**General mood:**

**Other:**

**Distinctive Visuals/ Physical traits:**


	12. On the road

**Wassup ya'll! I'm sorry for the excessive delays, but I was getting used to my school schedule, so I am sorry if the updates aren't as fast. Also, I'm opening an OC contest! If you read this, please enter one! Here's a thoughtful rhyme for you all... **

_"__If I die before you wake__  
Don't you cry, don't you ache  
Nothing's ever yours to keep  
Close your eyes, go to sleep"_

— **Tom Waits**, "Lullaby"

**And on with the story we go!**

When Ash knocked on Derek's bunkroom door, Derek leaped from his bed, startled, and blearily opened the door. Seeing that he was in full travel gear, Derek quickly dressed, putting on a long black hooded overcoat, traveling boots, and small leather satchel. Rushing out the door into the long corridor, they headed towards the main gate, where a large cart was waiting, with two other figures waiting for them, shivering in the cold night air.

Leaning back in his seat, Derek recognized Echo from the training halls. To his left was a tall brown-haired teenager covered with many scars and burns. Her angry green eyes made it difficult for Derek to make eye contact. A clapping of boots on polished marble caught all of their attentions, and they turned to see a slender girl, dressed in a pure white robe hurrying up towards them. 

_ A medic. Huh. For a simple scouting mission this is surprisingly high profile. Usually we'd just get a day pack for survival. Now we have an assassin, a medic, a... whatever she is, and then there's Ash and I . _Derek pulled his hood down lower over his head, and tried to get some sleep.

– - - – - - - - - - - - - - – - - - - – – - - - - - – - - - - - – - - - – - - – - – - – – - –

Derek woke up when the cart was just outside the city's gates, and he knew something was amiss. The horses eyes were dilated, and whenever the coachman stopped, they would prance about nervously, as expecting something bad to happen.

Leaning over to talk to the coachman, he said, "How long the horses been like this?" Derek got only a slight grunt from the red robed form. Thinking maybe that he was hard of hearing, Derek repeated himself. Still, all he got from the man was a slight grunt. Derek put his hands up in defeat and leaned back.

A few minutes later, the horses reared and ripped free from their leather harnesses, and the coach driver gave a keening wail, screaming in agony, "HELP ME! YOU HAVE TO HELP ME!"

Derek leaped to the coach man, who was moaning and shivering, curled up into a ball. Turning him over, Derek caught a flash of red in the man's eyes before they flashed to pure gold. Slowly but surely, the man was growing bigger, with glossy black hair sprouting from his arms. The hair oozed up his arms as the man convulsed in a mixture of terror and pain. His screams changed to growling sobs, and those morphed into a howl. Stunned, Derek realized that he was looking upon a werewolf.

– - - - - - - - – - – – - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - – - - – - - - - - - - -

** Sorry for such a short chap, but I figured I had to update SOMEtime.**


	13. The Forest

**Me: Hi guys and gals, I'm back, and I decided Derek should break the fourth wall! So kick back and enjoy our little chat! **

**Derek: *reads chapter* Wait, what is this? It says here that I get chased through the forest by a wolfman and get maimed... What am I, your authorial punching bag? **

**Me: No, you're just my Iron Butt Monkey. **

**D: What?**

**Me: My Iron Butt Monkey.**

**D:I don't get it.**

**Me: Check this out. /Main/IronButtmonkey**

**D: T_T It's just meaningless words and punctuation.**

**Me: I decided that I would totally make this a really lame intro by adding a URL and-**

**D: Wait, what's a UR-**

**Me: Unimportant. Now let's get on with the show by posting this for my loyal readers! **

**D: Readers!? This is a boo-**

**- – - - - - - - - - - - - - – - - – – - - - - - - – - - - - - - - – - - – - - - - - - - - - - - - - – - - – – - - - – - - - **

Leaping out of the wagon, Derek knew he had to draw the beast away from the rest of the group, who seemed to still be asleep. Dashing and weaving his way between the trees, Derek thought he had evaded the werewolf, when a massive furred hand cleaved a tree in two. Splinters flying everywhere, Derek was cut in multiple places. Swiping at Derek, the cabby-turned-werewolf grabbed him by his right arm, dragging him towards his gaping maw. Suddenly remembering his survival knife, Derek plunged it into his right eye. Roaring in pain and holding his face, the werewolf dropped Derek, which he took as an opportunity to run away. Coming upon a clearing, Derek caught a glimpse of a stone wall on the other side. Sprinting through the grass, Derek jerked to a stop as a primal howl echoed through the night. Pausing to glimpse behind him, he saw the werewolf leaping towards the meadow, but be suddenly cut short by a red bolt of light. Falling to the grass, the wolfman curled in a ball, glaring at Derek. Then, the werewolf's eyes widened, and he scampered away in fear. Slowly turning around, Derek looked up to see a massive skeleton in a black trench coat, wielding an obsidian sword and shield, break through to the clearing, and then walk slowly towards him.

- - - - - – – - - - - - – - - - - - - – - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - – - - - – - - - - - - - - - - - - - – - -

Ash, seemingly oblivious to all this, was walking on the same dusty plain as from his earlier dream. The wind was still whipping across the ground, and the starry sky was still distant. But, as he scanned the plain, he noticed that the dragon was missing. No, not missing, just asleep, on top of one of the pillars. Walking closer, his shoulder throbbed as he approached the tall ENDermen, who were gathered around something. When he reached the circle, he pushed his way between them, and saw... him. With a low murmur, the crowd of ENDermen summoned a bolt of purple energy, and it immediately leaped towards him, sending him into spasms, with purple sparks flying out of his eyes and mouth. Lifting him on the ground up, they dissolved him and thrust the intangible "him" inside Ash, giving him a feeling like dissolving in acid. Yelping with shock, Ash saw that his hands were glowing with a purple fire. His shoulder aching more than ever, the purple fire raced up his arm, until it reached his arm. Burning into his bicep, it seemed to absorb the fang lodged into it. As his vision flickered, he saw an ENDerman press something long and ebony into his hands. When he passed out, he heard a mighty roar before he slipped into oblivion.

- – - - - – - - - - - – - – - - - - - - – - - – - - - – – - - - - – - - – – - - - - - – - - - - - – - - - - - - – - - –

Feeling Ash suddenly sit up next to him, Echo jerked awake. Looking at Ash, Echo noticed two things. One, Ash's arm was glowing a chaotic shade of red. Two, Ash was holding something sharp tipped and somewhat long, that was glowing the same shade of red. Deftly grabbing it and handling it like it was hot, Echo wrapped it in his tarpaulin and shoved it into a compartment under his seat. Moving towards Ash's side, he stared him in the eyes, which were a dull purple. Taking off his glove, he put his index and middle fingers behind Ash's jugular vein, checking for a pulse. A slow and faint heartbeat gave Echo an answer.

Turning around and tapping the medic on the shoulder, he motioned towards Ash and said, in a gravelly whisper, "His vitals are faint, but there's still a pulse. You need to help him. I suspect, in a few moments, he would have died." Pursing her lips, the medic took out an instrument from her medical bag. Placing two earbuds connected to a clamp on Ash's wrist, she shook her head in disbelief.

"The reader indicates that his blood has thinned, judging by the sound of the blood rushing through his veins," The medic said, "I can't explain why, but there's nothing physically wrong with him other than a softer pulse and a lower metabolism. If this is some kind of magic, I suggest asking a mage. I'm no expert. All he needs now is some rest and relaxation."

Despite her consolations, Echo stayed awake all night, watching Ash for any signs of change.

Around midnight, Echo heard a slight rustle of leaves, and immediately unsheathed his twin knives. Crouching into a predatory stance, he scanned the bushes for movement. Eight glowing eyes peered back at him, and a spider leaped out of the bushes, pinning him to the ground momentarily. Grappling with it for a moment, Echo swung his right hand towards the side of it's head, stabbing it in the side of it's abdomen. It writhed on the ground for a second, spider slime spraying onto the dirt path. Echo turned around, and saw more sets of eyes, glowing in the darkness, rushing him. With a shout to wake the others, he rushed into battle, fury blazing behind his mask, and thought of times past.

_Entering the house, Echo looked upon his family seated at the table, eating dinner. His father, at the head, was singing a prayer to Notch, giving thanks. Pausing a moment in reverence, Echo continued to the table, pulling out his chair and sitting down. When they lifted their heads, he was sitting there, smiling. "UNCLE ECHO!" his nephew and niece, three years younger at the age of twelve, shouted with glee as they ran to him, throwing him backwards in his chair laughing. "I missed you guys too, Brent, Abberance."_

** Why does Echo have flashbacks of his family during battle, and what happened to Derek? Find out next chapter! Derek- Um, I'm still here- Anthai Out! **


	14. Flashbacks and other wonderful things!

**Ohai, interwebs! Sorry for the inconsistencies, but I really didn't have the time to write over winter break. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

** /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\**

Derek stared at the massive skeleton, which stopped approaching him as soon as it was a few feet away. Standing stock-still with fear, Derek started to edge away, only to have the reanimation follow. If he moved an inch, the lanky clattering skelly did the same. When he stopped, the skeleton did the same.

"You want something from me, but what?" Derek murmured as he looked into the empty black holes that it had for eyes. Inching closer, Derek noticed that it's face bore a certain sadness, like it had been through great sorrows.

The skeleton, noticing that Derek had finally stopped acting fearful, rasped through it's clattering jaw, " _You finally stopped moving. Do you know how hard it is to move in this form? And the noise didn't help either." _The skeleton's bones fell to the ground with a resounding clack, and a small humanoid figure in a muddy brown cloak appeared, seeming to melt out of the trees.

"Who are you, and why am I here? I was chased by a werewolf through the forest, and now I'm Notch knows where, lost in the forest!", Derek exclaimed at the shorter form, "I need to get back to my group," he said, much quieter after his initial outburst.

The hooded man beckoned for Derek to follow, and made his way through the trees. Overcoming some initial unease, Derek followed the mysterious person through the woods, and into darkness.

**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\**

When Ash woke up, the first thing he noticed was that everything hurt. A lot. Groaning and leaning forward, Ash saw Echo fighting off a horde of monsters with the medic and the strange girl. With each clash of a sword against bone, metal or flesh, Ash's ears rang. Curling into a ball, Ash just wished that he could get away.

Away...

Away...

Away...

And suddenly he was gone.

**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\**

Echo fought in a blind rage, whirling like a dervish through the forest, shredding flesh, leaf and bone of anything that got in his way, even keeping his allies back. Slipping on some slime and flesh, Echo hit his head on a log, and instantly fell into unconsciousness.

Echo could hear shouts and clamor of battle, but was too inert to act. Instead, he slipped into the world of dreams, where the memories of your past come to haunt you.

_The knock on the door came when it always did, right after they had settled down to eat. As Echo's older brother went to answer it, a blast of white-hot energy exploded, turning the door into shrapnel, and flinging what was left of Andrew to the back wall. The family was too shocked to respond as three creepers and black-shaded skeletons poured into the small room. _

Three creepers exploded, destroying the cart and killing the horse.

_It was only Echo then, and when the skeletons reached him, they slashed and pounded at him, knocking him against the stairs, until a bright light dissolved them into a coarse ebon dust, which blew off across the burning threshold. _

A tree lit ablaze, burning mobs, and leaving dust. **/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\**

**Ok, I am reeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaallllly sorry that I haven't updated in forever, but just to remind you , OC's have always been open. Just PM me and you might see your char. in the story! **

**ANTHAI OUT! **


	15. The Assembly

** Say heyo ladies and gentlemen, for this is an UPDATE! **-(said in big booming dramatic voice) ** If you are reading this, you should consider this next message informative. OCS ARE STILL OPEN! Since next to nobody has sent me any, of course. I don't want to sound needy and unoriginal, but I like including your characters in my stories! Sorry for the long delay between updates, but my mind went blank temporarily. (Stupid writers' block.)**

**- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - – – - - - – - - – - - - - - - - - - - – - - - - - - - - - - – – - - - - - - – - - **

The first thing Derek noticed when he entered the ruined village was the fact that it wasn't so ruined anymore. There were crude walls erected upon the charred foundations of huts and stores. Looking closer, he also observed that there was a tower that seemed to be constructed from black marble and iron. Sinister looking with spikes and chains jutting out of the otherwise smooth surface, it was an imposing structure. Almost squinting at this point, he barely managed to make out a bonfire surrounded by shadowed creatures, who seemed to be chanting.

"Come, young sir, come! We have no time to waste! They are starting!" The old hunched figure said as he/she/it hobbled down the broken cobble street towards the tower. After a while, Derek began to notice some stranger things, like claw marks upon several of the door frames, and strange emblems upon the blood-red flags that hung beside every door. For instance, many of them had a pure white triple slash upon them. Others had blue moons and suns on their billowy folds. When they reached the gate, the old person banged three times on the gate with a rock. Loudly. So loud, that it actually drew the attention of several hundred mobs, zombies, creepers, spiders, skellys all, pulling the attention from the bonfire to them.

**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\**

Ash slowly rose from the forest floor where he lay, brushing leaves and dirt off his clothes. Looking around, he noticed several slash marks on the trees, and clumps of slime, carapaces, and cloth on the ground. Directly below him, though, was the most terrifying thing that Ash had ever seen. It was a world hole. The black abyss grabbed at him, sucked him down, and choked him with it's dust. And suddenly, as quickly as the gaping maw in the earth appeared, it vanished, leaving Ash shivering and choking, huddled against a tree. Taking a few minutes to calm down, he falteringly took a couple of steps, and fell onto the side of a tree, coughing. Walking aimlessly about for a few minutes, Ash gathered his wits enough to choose one direction and stick with it. Staggering into the small ruins of a house, Ash slumped against the wall and fell to the floor in exhaustion. Slowly, Ash began to sleep, drifting in and out of consciousness, until darkness took him.

A low, raspy hiss and a high pitched gurgle awoke Ash, making him jump up in fear. Careful to not make a sound, he slid across the floor until he could peek through the cracks in the wood plank wall. A zombie and spider were standing right outside the hut, seeming to emanate nervousness.

_ " Are you sure we should look for him here?" _Ash shook his head in surprise, for he could understand the zombie! _"I mean, whatever could have caused a world hole could easily create another one, and suck our essence__to the void!" _

_ "You worry too much, rotflesh," _the spider chattered, apparently trying to feign confidence. _"He's probably long gone by now, right? Spark __never sends us on any important missions, so why should he start now? That bonebag has other problems, like how to break HER. This is most likely just a wild ocelot chase." _The spider seemed to laugh for a moment_. "Imagine if Grass or Dust were here. They would be flipping out over this. 'I'm Grass, do what I say, or face my wrath! Hurp, I can't explode properly, and would be tripping lava if I did!'" _This brought a toothy, and albeit morbid smile from the zombie. But before the zombie could reply, a seal erupted from below them, sucking them into a portal. Hesitating a moment, Ash ducked through the dying light of the portal, and saw one of the other most horrible things he would ever glimpse. It was Derek, tied in iron chains, being readied to be burned at the stake by hundreds of mobs.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ash rolled behind a fallen column of cracked ebony stone before anyone could notice him, and glimpsed the spider and zombie lying disoriented on the floor. Several other mobs dragged them to the front of the crowd, supporting them until they were strong enough to stand. Ash looked around, and noticed a small podium covered with red flags, all emblazoned with a black crescent moon with a red triple slash through the middle. A shadowy figure stood upon this platform, shouting something unintelligible to the crowd. When the mob heard this, they let out a roar, and started to press closer to Derek. The dark form grabbed a brazier from a black iron wrought holder, and approached Derek with slow, heavy steps. Twisting in his chains, Derek struggled to slip free, but to no avail. Ash, trying to grab something he could use to distract the mobs, chanced upon a small bottle of fiery red liquid. Not bothering to even see what it was, he flung it into the crowd near the dark specter.

Both fortunately and unfortunately, it was a potion of healing, which meant while it healed whatever wounds Derek may have received and hurt any undead, it also healed the living mobs. Whirling around, the mysterious figure scanned the stadium to find whoever threw the bottle. Seeing nothing, he ordered several spiders and skeletons to search the perimeter. Ash, unaware of this, started picking his way back to the back of the chamber. He was about halfway up the basalt steps when they spotted him. Letting loose a wild chattering, the spiders alerted the entire assembly to Ash's presence.

– - - - - - - - – - - - - - – - - - - – - - - – - - - – – - - - - - - - - – - - - - - - – - - – - - - – - – - - - – - - - - -

**Mwa ha hah ha ha ah! My dark plan is finished! To post this on the internet is but one step in CONQURING THE WORLD! MWAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHA! (Caio, interwebs **;)**)**


	16. Catching up on things

The monster hordes were upon him when several strange things happened. One, all of their eyes were glowing red. Two, the man in the hood's eyes were the same color. Ash stared for a moment before shaking his head and sprinting towards the crowd. As he ran, he wondered how he would actually _reach_ Derek, and he was there. The mob of mobs behind him skidded to a halt and tripped over itself for a few meters before looking around and saw Derek, freed, and Ash behind him, running towards the great iron gate. The hooded man shouted a command and the gates began to close, and at this Ash and Derek doubled their speed. With only a few feet left, and the portcullis almost on the ground, Ash wrenched Derek's arm and threw him under, making him skid under the steel portal. Sliding headfirst, Ash barely made it in time, only wrenching his foot, instead of more serious injury. Panting, the two sprinted towards the cover of the woods, where they laid on tree branches covered with such a thicket that they could not see one another, and fell asleep from exhaustion.

- – – - - – – – - - - - – - - - – - - - – – - – - - - - - - - - - - – – - – - - - - - - - – - - – - - - -

_The roof had weakened and gave way as the house burned, dropping a flaming chunk of roof on the floor. The door was kicked open by three city watchmen, who had cloths tied around their face, to protect themselves from the smoke and ash. They pulled Echo out of the blazing rubble and into the street, calling for a doctor. _

The two girls from the wagon reached Echo, and pulled him into some brush.

_The doctor took one look at Echo's wounds and immediately shook his head. There was no way he would survive without going to the hospital. _

The medic girl tried her best to heal Echo, but there were too many cuts and broken bones to all repair.

_Echo remembered going to his family's funeral, and how it rained and smelled like roses, and- _

Echo snapped awake, drawing the attention of the redheaded girl that was on watch. Nudging the medic with the tip of her boot, the redhead growled, "He's awake."

Sleepily yawning and stretching her arms, the white-hooded medic got up and walked over to Echo. Looking him over, she frowned and started unwrapping the bandages around his arm. When she had pulled the last strip of stained cloth off of his arm, her eyes widened at the damage that was now apparent. There were several mottled bruises from where arrows had glanced off of his body armor. A long, deep cut ran across his bicep, starting to clot. And all over, there were several bruises and cuts from wounds that were not showing before. The nastiest damage, though, was that to his right leg. Several spider bites were deep into his thigh, and his femur was off at an angle that shouldn't be normally. His ankle was totally broken, and his foot turned to directions it really shouldn't.

"Echo, you need to be more careful in the future. I can't keep doing this every time we get into a fight. Also, you need to stay off your right leg for a while. I'll fix you a splint until we can get to a potion of healing. Go to sleep, you need the rest after what you did." The medic said, in the typical doctor-to-patient manner.

Before he did, though, Echo rasped through his mask, "What's your name?"

"Ruby, now go to sleep, Echo, I'll not say it again." Ruby pushed his head back onto his bedroll, forcing Echo to drift away to sleep. Talking to the redhead, Ruby said, "That's enough, Lizeth. I'll take guard now. I can't have you passing out in the middle of a battle." Grumbling, Lizeth lied down and fell asleep.

Leaning against a tree, Ruby looked up at the stars with her clear green eyes and stood watch until morning.

- – - - - - - - - - - - - - – - - - - - - – - - - - - – – – - - - - - – - - - - - - - – - - – - - - –

Brenys Chorster didn't like to be surprised. What she expected to be a simple research trip into a monolith turned out to be a terrible idea. When she placed the Vis crystals upon the glowing symbols shown to her because of her goggles of revealing, smoke almost as black as the Eldritch stone, that should have been a sign to turn around and leave. But no, she had to investigate the chamber. As soon as she clambered down a rope and walked up to a chest, the chest came alive, sprouting teeth about the size of her head. Jumping backwards, her hands glowed with magical energy as the chest monster hopped off it's pedestal and waddled towards her. Immolating it, Brenys stepped towards another chest, and opened the latch. The lid opened smoothly and several magical interfaces hovered in the air in front of her face. Tapping one, the items magically appeared in the chest. Picking several shiny black orbs emitting a strange energy and sticking them in her satchel, Brenys turned around and went to climb up the rope, and it was gone. An eldritch stone block slid into place above the hole she dropped in. Trying to no avail, Brenys blasted the block with concussive magic, attempting to shatter it. Reverberating and shivering, the block slammed into the small hole, sending fine black dust floating down into the chamber. As an aftereffect, a wave of force pushed downwards upon Brenys, slamming her into the hard black floor. Stars in her eyes, Brenys shakily stood, noticing that there was blood seeping from her nose. Taking a handkerchief, she held her nose until the bleeding subsided. To her left, an ancient tunnel creaked open, rusty pistons creaking and revealing a hallway made of the same ebon blocks and obsidian. Staggering down the corridor, Bren came to a steel door, which she slammed her hand upon several times, trying to draw the attention of _who_ or _what_ever was behind the framework. Slumping down to the ground, Brenys curled against a wall and waited.

/\/\/\/\/\

Several hours later, the door swung open, and three shaded figures stood above Brenys, dragging her to her feet and shocking her awake.

"Hello, Chorster, you look just like your sister," a low voice spoke in a monotone. "I do hope that you are as useful to us as she was." The man's mutterings were dripping with malice. "Take her away. Bring her to the chamber and prepare her for... extraction." The two other men smiled morbidly when he said this.

Kicking and beating her and dragging her up the stairs,they jeered at her, calling out insults and mocking her. "Hey, Brenys! You want to know the last sounds your sister made before she was ended? They were screams. Screams for mercy." Brenys gritted her teeth and said nothing and showed no reaction to the beatings. She was not going to let them have the satisfaction of her pain.

- - - - – – – - - - - - - - - – - – – - - – - - - - – – - - - - - - - - - – – - – - - - - - - - - - –

Nerissa was lying in her room when three soft knocks rapped on her door. Rolling over in her bed, she whispered, "Come in." Alis, her best friend and companion other than Ash glided across the floor, sitting upon her window seat, next to Nerissa's bed.

"Nerissa, why are you sad? You haven't done anything wrong. So what, you kissed him. You might have driven him away for now, but he will come back. If he is in the city again, he will come back. You know Ash, he is your deepest friend."

"You really think so?" A crying Nerissa whispered. "I'm afraid that this time I drove him so far away that even if he is in the city, he won't want to come back. And even if he does, what am I supposed to say?"

Alis covered Nerissa's hands with her own. "Just tell him how you feel. He would do the same. You know this, you just believe that he won't because you have just found your feelings for him, and you have been friend since you were small children. All you need to do now is wait for him to come back." Alis left the room, glancing at Nerissa once before she strode into the corridor. Nerissa lay back on her pillow, considering what Alis had said.

- – - - - – - - – - - - – - - - - - - - - - – - - - - - - - - - - - - - – - - - - - - - - - - – - - - -

**So, guys, I'm going to try to create a semi-regular schedule for this story. It shall update every other Saturday, or later depending on the circumstances. If I feel that the chapter is not ready, then I will wait for a short while, writing enough to satisfy myself and hopefully, you. You, the readers that make the Interwebs go round. **

**ANTHAI OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT!**


	17. Red Willow

**(Note: If you can't read the Japanese under the report, then I can't help you. Also, I think I might be getting into one of those unimportant things called schedules. I don't know yet. XP) **

_A report on the rapid defoliation of the Blackwood forest of the county of Dimriel, composed and written by Dr. Yuzhna Kazashi. _

_The forests of Blackwood in Dimriel have always been dense and thickly populated with wildlife, but the recent boom in timber production and farmland expansion have devastated it, stripping it down to two-fifths its previous size. As a result, the wildlife has less space to live, transmitting diseases between animals has become easier and finding food harder. There are about 168 kilounits of privately owned land bought for the purpose of conservation, but this only accounts for 12% of the total biome. Laws have been made, but this only saves about 200 more kilounits of land. Rapid death rates and emigration have decreased animal population in the area, and this would greatly affect the economy, making it impossible for hunters to find wild meat to sell at market, lacks of wood to build and repair building, and no wool from sheep to produce the necessary clothing of our race. If no one does anything soon, there will be severe repercussions._

_ Dr. Yuzhna Kazashi, Head of the Board of Ecologic Sciences. _

_D_

_R_

_Y_

_u_

_z_

_h_

_n_

_a_

_K_

_a_

_z_

_a_

_s_

_h_

_I_

– _- - - - - - - - – - - - - - – - - – - - - - - – - - - - - - - - - - - – - - - - - – – - - - - - - – - - - - - - - – -_

Lady Red Willow was lying on her side in a forest glade, surrounded by dozens of animals, petting each one and laughing. These little ones gave her joy, and she enjoyed their simple feelings and existences. All they did was play, play with a joy that could only be found in such. That was why it was so sad when they were ended. Willow sensed several presences advancing steadily through the forest. Gliding through the clearing, she peeked through a bush and saw a large company of loggers cutting down some of the old growth, trees that had stood for hundreds of years.

Stepping into the clearing, she walked up behind one and tapped one on the shoulder. "Why do you cut down the old ones? The new trees don't have the gift yet. The ones that you grow in your farms should be enough."

"Well, er... there are certain factors that would keep us from doing that, like the fact that-" The man was cut off as a guard called out, yelling "Creeper horde!"

The green wave of mobs flowed across the logging camp, trying to attack the fleeing loggers. Willow sighed, and held out her hand. A small rumble in the ground, and a large emerald scythe rocketed upwards. Catching it as it fell towards her hand, Willow spun around and slashed upwards, cutting a creeper in half. The horde recognized her as the threat, and closed in around her. Twirling around and slashing at creepers, she was a circle of death. As more and more swarmed the clearing, she bent to the ground and touched it, causing dozens of vines to entangle each creeper, dragging them into the earth. Looking around, nothing remained from the fight except the one pile of wood that exploded, leaving several logs impaled in the ground. Tossing her scythe on the ground, it was sucked up and pulled under. Walking to a pile of wood, she sat down and happily picked flowers, weaving them into a chain. The forest animals returned and played around her, sensing that all was well again in the forest.

- – – - - - – - - - - - - – - – - – - - - - - - – – - - - - - - - -

Marius Livius pounded the superheated ingot of metal into a shape that resembled a sword blade, and shoved it into the furnace, along with some steel powder for strength. Brushing some metal off of his brown leather vest and dark brown pants, he sat down on a stool, dropping his hammer upon the wooden table, he leaned against the wall to rest. Looking at the doorway, he noticed a hooded man standing in the doorway. Nodding at him, he said, "Whaddaya need? I can smith just about anything."

The man chuckled and said, "Very direct, aren't you. Well, I can pay you anything you need, if you can make this." He pulled out a blueprint out from under his cloak. Giving it to Marius, he also pulled out a wallet full of silver plates.

Marius raised his eyebrows and took the paper, unrolling it and laying it on the table. It was a diagram for a specially designed gear,one that looked like it could turn multiple pivots at once. Making sure that this was legitimate, Marius peered closely at the leaf of paper, noting the watermark of the Lians clan of crafters. Their money usually was solid.

Marius shook the man's hand and smiled. "The house of Lians has a deal."

_The doom of all will be quick and painful. Noone is safe.._


End file.
